Changing History Through Poetry
Photo courtesy of Richard Blanco
Richard Blanco is the first Latino, openly gay person, and immigrant to ever speak at a Presidential Inauguration. Reading his poem “One Today” at President Barack Obama’s Inauguration is only one of the many accomplishments he has achieved through his written work. As both a poet and a storyteller, Richard showcases all the different aspects of his identity, shedding light on the intersection of his LGBTQ+ and Latinx realities.
LTA: Do you have any advice for LGBTQ+ youth attempting to express themselves or make a difference through their writing?
I think that the unity of history—either other writers or historical figures forming a community—is a great way to ground yourself in a way that can be a lot of fun. Also just writing! I think the best advice for writers is by building a writing practice. I do it every day, knowing that my best writing is still yet to come. So just keep on writing and keep on writing; as you grow, your writing will grow and you’ll find ways to expand.
Photo taken by Helena Chen
LTA: Do you have any advice for young queer people of color who are looking to find spaces that bridge their identities?
I don’t think that you need that bridge; I think that you are already the bridge. I think that loving and embracing that and writing about it and talking about it and building a community around that is something that connects to all of us.
LTA: Did you have a space that encouraged you to start writing?
Not really; I started writing to explore my creative curiosities, just to do something creative for the sake of doing it—I had no idea I would’ve executed it so well but I’m glad it did. And I think that’s a good place to be in, purely loving what you’re doing and not having many expectations. I’m really glad it happened that way—I just started on my own and then I found that community and as I continued to create the next steps just rose up to meet me.
Written by Elizabeth Kostina and Adelaide Graham
Edited by Serene De Sisso
December 2019